PARAMUS, N.J. — For Brighton golfers Julia Dean and Allyson Geer, 2015 proved to be quite the year, with both claiming championships in dramatic fashion at different levels of the sport. Now, this week, the two were off in New Jersey trying to get an early start on making it a memorable 2016, too.

This time, Dean, the winner of the Division 1 individual state championship as a junior at Brighton High School last year and chosen as Miss Golf during her first year of high school golf, and Geer, the winner of the 99th Michigan Women’s Amateur on a sudden-death playoff hole, are seeking national gold.

Entering Wednesday, both had earned a spot in the round-of-64 match-play portion of the United States Golf Association’s U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at The Ridegwood Country Club, one of the biggest junior tournaments in the world that this year featured 157 of the best 17-and-under golfers from across the globe.

Dean’s two-round stroke-play score of 151 (5-over) earned her the 31st seed in match play with Geer’s 152 strokes (6-over) giving her the No. 36 seed. Only Geer, however, would advance to the round of 32.

Geer downed her first opponent in 29th-seeded Sophie Guo of China, defeating her by going 4-up with three holes left to play. She will advance Thursday to take on No. 4-seeded Jayna Choi of Collierville, Tenn. Dean, meanwhile, heads home after falling to 34th-seeded Beth Lillie of Fullerton, Calif., the Brighton native and Baylor commit losing to Lillie by one hole.

For Geer, it was essentially a runaway victory. After starting off the tournament with back-to-back rounds of 78 and 74 on days one and two, respectively, she amped it up in match play, perhaps drawing from her experience in the Michigan Women’s Amateur last August.

Her 15-foot putt birdie putt last year on the 19th hole to beat Muskegon’s Hailey Hyrenwich at Spring Lake Country Club and claim the title was the most clutch of shots. With the pressure on her to perform again this week, few expected anything less than another stellar performance.

Geer hasn't let them down so far, as she went 4-up by sinking her putt for par on the par-5 12th hole at Ridgewood and would maintain the lead by matching Guo on each hole from there on out. She made it such a lopsided defeat that there was no need for the final three holes to be played.

Dean, meanwhile, played one of the day's closer matches.

The first golfer in Brighton High School history to qualify for match play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and second to even make the tournament — Hannah Pietila made it in 2013, but couldn’t reach the round of 64 — Dean showed once again that she belonged amongst the best of the best.

Although she stumbled on day one of stroke play with an 80 (7-over), she returned on day two and put forth one of the most impressive outings of the day. Her score of 71 (2-under) was tied for the second-best score of any golfer on day two, and kept her alive and well in the tournament.

But after falling behind to Lillie in the early going on Wednesday and being 3-down with seven holes to play, the deficit proved too much to climb out of. Dean chipped away, cutting it to a one-hole lead going into the final hole, but when both sank par Dean’s time at the U.S. Girls’ Junior was over.

Still, those back home were delighted with her overall performance.

“Julia continues to make us proud here in Brighton,” Brighton girls golf coach Paul Parsell said. “She has accomplished so much during her young career; Miss Golf, state champion, many other tournament victories, and now adding U.S. Girls’ Junior match-play qualifier to her resume. She deserves everything she gets. She works hard, comes from a good family and has great determination, all of which will make her have much success in life and, hopefully, a long golf career.”

Geer continues on with a 7:36 a.m. tee time on Thursday morning against Choi.

Choi shot a 143 to tie for the third-best match-play score of the field and also defeated her opponent, No. 61-seeded Kenedee Peters of Ephrata, Wash., on Wednesday by going up 4 with three holes to play.